seymour



NITED STATES PATENT Grrrcn.

JAMES W. SEYMOUR, OF BATAVIA, NEW YORK.

FRUIT- DRIER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 228,561, dated June 8, 1880.

Application filed January 13, 1880.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES WV. SEYMOUR, of Batavia, in the county of Genesee and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Buildings for Drying Fruits, &c., of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to that class of fruitdriers in which the trays upon which the fruit is placed are carried up and down in a dryingcompartmeut by means of endless chains.

My improvement consists in the features of.

construction hereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a front elevation of a building embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the same. Fig. 3 is a detail view, of one of the links of the endless chain. Fig. 4is a vertical section taken through the line y y of Fig. 5; Fig. 5, a top or plan view with a portion of the top of the building removed, so as to illustrate more clearly the two endless chains.

Let a represent the building, which is constructed. of a triangular shape in vertical section in the direction of the line yy, and is provided on each side, at the top, with openings 1) b, to permit of the ready escape of the vapors arising during the process of drying.

Heat or hot air may be admitted into the interior of the drying-chamber c by means of a boiler or other medium placed at the bottom of the building. The doors (I d,'&c., arranged in front, and doors e in the side are designed for the introduction and removal of the fruit, 85c.

Extending transversely across and in the central part of the chamber 0 are fixed a series of stationar Y trays, ff. &c., which rest in the triangular frame 9. These trays are designed for the drying off of such fruits as, after being passed through the chamber, are still found to contain detrimental moisture.

At the top and bottom of the chamber and at the angles thereof are mounted the pulleys hh h. i is the driving-wheel. The pulleys,as

also the driving-wheel, are similarly provided with spurs jj, arranged at suitable intervals apart on their periphery to take into the links of the endless chain as it traverses the chamber. A. groove or channel, k, is formed in the side walls of the building from point to point where the pulleys are located,which serves as a guideway for the endless chains to work in. By this means the line of traverse of the chains is always in close proximity to and in conformity with the form of the building.

The endless chains 1 Z are arranged within the building on opposite sides ofthe chamber 0, and they are arranged to pass around the pulleys. Fig. gives an intelligible idea of the location of said chains.

The chains are constructed as follows Each chain is composed of alternate links on on. The link m has a hook, p, which will engage w1th a link on, and the link at will be connected with the neXt link m by a rod, or, which passes through eyes 0 of the link on and through a tubular portion, 0, of the linkm. This arrangement is carried out throughout the entire chain. Fig. 3 shows two of these links connected bya rod, a,- but from the foregoing it will be readily understood how the chain is formed. Each rod it connects two of these links of one chain at one end of the rod, and it also connects two links of the opposite chain at the remaining end of said rod, thus connecting the two chains so that they will have acommon movement. The remainder of the links are constructed similarly to that shown in Fig. 3, but without the central tubular part, 0, and eye 0, having a hook, p, at one end, which takes over and is clamped to the cross-bar q in the formation of the chain.

r r, &c., are hangers depending from and swinging loosely on the rods a a, designed to hold the trays s s, &c., for the reception of the fruit. t, &c., are cylindrical receptacles, preferably made of open wire-cloth, which are mounted upon and revolve freely on the rods n n, 850. Each end of these cylinders is provided with projecting studs or pins to a, etc, arranged at suitable intervals apart on its periphery, which, on the upward passage of the chain, strike against similar projecting pins 4) v, 850., fixed in the side walls of the chamber. By this means an oscillatory motion is given to the cylinders, which agitates the fruit contained therein, causing a more rapid evapora tion of the moisture from every portion of the mass, by reason of its being kept in a loose condition, and thus permitting the hot air to circulate freely through in a manner impossible when the fruit is in a compact state.

A gentle and uniform draft may be maintained throughout the chamber to assist in the upward passage of the moisture'laden air by placing the fan-blowerw in the top ot'the buildin g.

By my construction I am enabled to dispense with partitions, dampers, and deflectors, and thus the entire chamber is open to the positive and direct action of the heat. The endless chains carrying the trays and cylinders of fruit travel close to the inner walls of the buildin g, and the currents of hot air, which possess a maximum of heat in the center of the chamber, are thus forced into positive contact with the fruit, and the process of evaporation is more rapid and more uniform throughout the mass, as each tray receives an equal degree of heat while at its greatest intensity.

I am aware that the process of drying fruits and vegetables by exposing them to the action of heated air is not new, and I make no claim to this, broadly.

I am also aware that a fruit-drier has been heretofore constructed within a building trian gular-shaped in vertical section; and that driers are in use comprising traveling endless chains which carry fruit-screens, said chains being guided along the sides of the inclosingbuilding; and that drying structures have been provided with blowing apparatus for directing currents of air therethrough; and, further, that parallel traveling chains have been arranged in fruitdriers to support screens be: tween them. I do not claim any of these features, broadly but \Vhat I claim is- 1. The-combination, in a fruit-drier, of endless chains l 1, arranged on opposite sides of the chamber and connected together by the rods a, with fruit-dryin g screens upon said eon-- necting-rods, these rods having a fixed hearing in links formed as described, and being arranged at regular intervals apart on each chain, substantially as shown and described.

2. The combination, in a fruit-drier, of the endless chains 1 1, adapted to travel along the inner walls of the building, with rotary screens t t, arranged to rotate freely between the chains, substantially as herein shown and set forth.

3. The combination, in a fruit-drier, of the endless chains arranged to travel along the inner walls of the building with rotary screens mounted upon the rods 42, and provided with projecting pins, and pins upon the inner walls of the building in position for engaging with the pins of the passing screens to cause the screens to rotate, substantially as herein set forth.

4. The combination, in a fruit-drier, of the rotary screens t with the rods n and the chains having the links on m, eyes 0, tubular parts 0 of the links, the hooks p, and bars q, the connecting-rods which carry the rotary screens being passed at their ends through the said eyes and tubular portions of the links,'substantially as herein shown and set forth.

5. The combination, in a fruit-drier, of the endless chains Z I. and the chain-guiding pulleys h, journaled at the interior angles of the building, with the rods a a, connecting the chains, and the swinginghangersw',suspended upon the rods a n, and provided with trays, whereby, during the travel of the chains, the hangers will maintain a vertical position, substantially as set forth.

JAMES W. SEYMOUR.

\Vitnesses MYRoN H. PECK, Jr., WILLIAM O. PEGK. 

